The search for the oracle was unlike anything Benjamin had faced before.It wasn’t about fighting soldiers, dismantling networks, or outmaneuvering an enemy. This time, he was chasing whispers, stories buried in books, faded symbols carved into stone, and fragments of knowledge that had survived for centuries in dusty corners of forgotten libraries.He sat in the meeting room with Emily, Amanda, Darius, and Timothy. The holographic map hovered in front of them, glowing with red and gold markings.“The oracle is real,” Benjamin said firmly. “The journal from my ancestor made it clear. But finding them… that’s the challenge.”Amanda crossed her arms. “An oracle? Really? We’ve gone from fighting crime lords to chasing fairy tales?”Darius grinned faintly. “You sound like me six months ago.”Amanda shot him a look, but he only shrugged.Emily leaned forward. “Benjamin’s right. The systemic flaw isn’t just political or financial. It runs deeper. If there’s even a chance this oracle exists,

The journey to the first Elder Relic began almost immediately after Benjamin and his alliance left the oracle’s mountain courtyard. They had a location now. The Valley of Echoes. But a name was all it was. No map. No road. No clear path.Benjamin rode in silence most of the way, Emily seated beside him in the transport. Her hand rested lightly on his, steadying him even when he didn’t realize he needed it. Behind them, the others murmured quietly, their voices carrying both excitement and unease.The oracle’s warning echoed in Benjamin’s mind: Your journey is not to conquer the relics, but to learn from them.When they finally reached the valley, it didn’t look like much at first. Just rocks, cliffs, and wind cutting through narrow passages. But the deeper they went, the stranger it became.The air grew heavy, as though each breath carried weight. Shadows shifted even when the sun stood still. And when someone spoke, their voice echoed not just once or twice, but again and again, each

Benjamin and Emily had been through a lot in the past few weeks. Their world had changed so much since they first reunited, and now it felt like every new day carried a weight of uncertainty. But tonight was different. Tonight was quiet.The Elder Relic, resting on a small stone pedestal in their safehouse, pulsed with a faint glow. It wasn’t menacing, not anymore. It felt alive, like a heartbeat waiting to sync with theirs. Benjamin had been staring at it for hours, trying to make sense of its power, but words failed him. He didn’t even know how to describe it to Emily.“Are you still staring at it?” Emily’s voice broke the silence.Benjamin looked up. She had walked into the room with two mugs of tea, her hair loose, her steps light. She placed one of the mugs on the table beside him and sat down.“I don’t think I can stop,” Benjamin admitted with a small smile. “It’s… different from anything I’ve ever felt. It doesn’t feel like just an object. It feels like it’s looking back at me.

The world was changing, and not in a gentle way. Benjamin had seen storms before, political storms, financial storms, even literal storms, but nothing compared to the chaos spreading across the globe now. The systemic flaw had started as something invisible, like a whisper at the edge of the ear. At first, only a few noticed. A glitch here, a sudden collapse there, people turning on each other for reasons no one could explain.But now? Now it was everywhere.Markets crashed overnight. Entire cities faced sudden blackouts without cause. Leaders of nations made reckless decisions that endangered millions, and no one could explain why. Families who once laughed together now fought over the smallest things. And underlying it all was a strange heaviness, as if the world itself was tired, dragging its feet toward some inevitable disaster.Benjamin stood by the wide windows of his headquarters, staring at the city below. The skyline looked the same. Tall buildings, flashing lights, endles

The relic was theirs.For hours, Benjamin had stared at it resting in his hands, still half afraid it would vanish into smoke if he blinked. The second Elder Relic pulsed faintly, its crimson and gold glow humming with energy that vibrated through his bones. It felt heavier than it looked, not just in weight but in meaning. He knew just by touching it that he was holding a piece of something far older and wiser than humanity itself.They had fought illusions. They had endured fire, poison air, and collapsing stone. They had risked their lives just to get close to the thing. And now, standing outside the volcanic crater under the cooling night sky, the alliance felt the rare sweetness of victory.Emily sat beside Benjamin, her hair still damp with sweat, her voice low but full of awe. “It’s real, Ben. You’re really holding it.”Benjamin nodded slowly. “Yes. But it feels… alive. Like it’s watching us, judging us.”The others in the alliance gathered around, exhausted but hopeful. They a